The artist has donated the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
The star was given the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from performances in large arenas supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
When the band received the trophy in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her prize among a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she explained to a publication.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they contributed their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had rescued a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.
